Ellie - Forest

Project description

Ellie Forest is an interactive installation designed for shared study environments such as campus workspaces. It consists of small modules called Bugs, placed throughout the space, that respond to ambient sound with calm, wave-like light and subtle audio. When the environment is quiet, the Bugs produce gentle, pleasant patterns. As noise increases, these patterns become disrupted or fade entirely. The aim is not to enforce quiet behaviour, but to make changes in noise levels more perceptible — supporting awareness through subtle, shared ambient feedback rather than direct intervention.

Context

Shared study environments like campus workspaces are designed to support focus and productivity, but in practice they are occupied by multiple people at once, leading to fluctuating noise levels. While some background sound is expected, these fluctuations can disrupt concentration and create tension between users. Existing solutions such as designated quiet zones often fall short in practice, and directly addressing noise can feel socially uncomfortable — most students choose to tolerate the situation, put on headphones, or move to a different spot rather than ask others to be quieter.

This raises the question of whether a more subtle, shared form of feedback could help regulate the atmosphere without requiring direct confrontation or rule enforcement. Ellie Forest explores this through ambient feedback: small modules called Bugs, placed within a shared study space, that respond to noise levels with light and sound. When the environment is quiet, the Fireflies produce calm, wave-like patterns. As noise increases, these patterns become disrupted or stop entirely.

The concept was developed and validated through field research at TQ campus. Findings confirmed that noise is a dynamic, socially influenced factor — often driven by teachers and group interactions rather than individual misbehaviour. Users adapt personally rather than collectively, and while subtle ambient feedback was generally received positively, its influence on behaviour is expected to be limited. The goal is therefore not to enforce silence, but to make noise levels more perceptible and support a more balanced shared environment.

Results

The system consists of three Bugs per cluster, with multiple clusters connected to a main server. The platform is fully modular, allowing new Bugs to be added to existing clusters or entirely new cluster types to be introduced — such as different animals or trees — each with their own behaviour and response logic. An admin panel provides a central overview of all connected clusters and Bugs, giving full visibility into the system's status.

This semester, the Bugs react to sound and respond by blinking light. The modular architecture lays a solid foundation for future development, making it straightforward to create new variants that react to different inputs or respond in different ways — opening the door to a wide range of extensions beyond the current concept.

About the project group

This is a Delta project made by Deltas. Everyone worked one day a week on this project during this semester.